I huff with a loud breath, but he continues pulling me along.
“You have no sense of romance!” I point out with deflation, knowing what he’s saying is true, but isn’t it worth a try?
“Are you telling me I should try harder, that I’m not romancing you enough?” his deadpan and way too serious tight tone makes me glance up, instantly shocked he would get that from our conversation and realize he’s smirking at me. Being an ass and winding me up.
“Shut up. You sweep me off my feet a million times a day.”
“Yeah, something I know I’m good at, right?” he ducks and swoops his arm under my leg and hoists me up princess style while I give out a startled yelp at his lightning-fast maneuver. My heart lurching into my throat with the speed in which he just hauled me up.
“This is not what I meant!” I giggle and wrap my arms around his neck to snuggle in, liking this new height and position as I get to trace that sexy jaw and gaze at the most beautiful profile of a male I have ever known. Colton smiles and scales the stairs faster, getting us up to the landing and next three flights in super quick time.
Sierra resides on the far end of the building in her own rooms because we put her somewhere quiet and cozy where she could watch over the village from her own balcony every day. We didn’t want her to feel alone up here so we made sure she has around the clock presence in the form of waiting femmes who tend to her every need.
Sierra is already at the table by the balcony doors when we stroll in, overlooking the forest side of the homestead, into the dense darkness that is framed by the distant mountains. So many memories of being out there alone every time I see the view from up here that it fully silences my previous train of thought and Colton drops me on my feet as we come to sit with her. Knowing our topic is over as Sierra wouldn’t be too pleased knowing we were talking about matchmaking her.
“Hey, Mom, What’s for dinner.” Colton reverts to boy whenever in the presence of his mom and slides around beside her, leaning in to kiss her on the temple before pulling out a chair for me. He nestles me on her side then he sits by me, so he faces her.
“The kitchen has made Steak Diane with all the trimmings. Hope you’re hungry.” She smiles softly, that face beaming with maternal love for her two teens. I know she isn’t my mom but sometimes I feel like she loves me as though she is and I’m rather partial to her too.
“Famished.” I smile softly and pat her on the hand, our usual gesture of affection which has become the norm. Sierra smiles brightly and we all settle in.
“I went and seen Tawna as you asked today, it was ….. emotional.” Sierra brings my eye to hers, a faraway look and a glaze of moisture as she says it and I focus intently on the waves of sadness she starts to expel. Sometimes it’s a curse to feel others this way and while I’m tired, I have no energy for it.
“How did it go?” Colton cuts in, sensing her somber mood at the mention of the woman’s name. He must be picking it up from my emotions, given we share.
“It was nice to see her again but…. Tawna is broken, her heart is in pain, and she kept talking as though she had to pay some sort of retribution for her mate’s part in the past. I don’t know. She made very little sense, and, in the end, I had Dr. Miago come up and give her some sedatives and pills to help ease her distress. Carmen says she has been this way since the memories made it to the mountain.” Sierra moves to place her napkin on her lap and we both do the same, being very civilized at mealtimes nowadays. Having a mom figure has improved our table manners anyway.
“Do you think she will improve in time? With care and maybe some talking therapy with Anya.” I ask as food servers enter the room quickly and begin laying out starter dishes in front of us. Some simple melon and ham preceding our main and it all looks and smells amazing, so much so that my mouth waters instantly with ravenous hunger. We fall quiet as they set about the task of filling our water glasses and placing salad on the table before receding quickly.
Anya is the Shamans mate, and she is what most consider the therapist of the pack. She has way of talking things out and helping straighten thoughts and feelings. I always suspected she has a mild ability to manipulate emotions short term but as she only uses it for good, I have never thought to ask her about it.
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